Fast Food Marketing - Time for a rethink?
Fast food marketing aimed at children has long been a controversial topic that has divided the marketing community and placed it at odds with a large demographic of society. But things have changed in recent times, and despite these changes being put in place, things don't seem to be improving. Scott Wilkinson, planning partner for creative agency Bordello takes up the issue.
Many of Europe’s big food and snack companies this year signed an enhanced 'pledge' to guarantee not to advertise or market their products to children under the age of 12 years old. There is a great deal of logic behind certain brands’ promises to cease advertising to children under 12. After all, ‘effective’ ads by their very nature do change behaviour – that’s why brands pay for them – and the role of the industry in influencing the behaviour of young children is widely debated for good reason.
Only a couple of months ago, a study by Newcastle University found that children are still exposed to the same level of junk food advertising despite tighter regulations. The researchers measured the amount of unhealthy food advertising six months before the restrictions were introduced in 2007, and again six months after they were fully implemented in 2009.
Academics said 6.1% of adverts seen by children were about junk food before the ban - the figure was 7% after the ban.
The Children's Food Trust recently revealed that the majority of parents in the UK believed advertising had an effect on what their children asked for, where 72% said they had bought fast food or other unhealthy products as a result of their child pestering them. This clearly highlights the necessity of switching emphasis to marketing healthy alternatives. The number of 5-9 year olds is forecast to increase and with a fifth of kids’ income spent on food; it is the duty of brands to act responsibly.
Last year McDonalds faced protests from health professionals urging the chain to stop using its Ronald McDonald character as a tool to market junk food to children. Advertising targeted at children has commonly taken the form of TV adverts, toys and mascots, and over time, regulation of TV advertising to children has become increasingly stringent. The “pester power” of children is no longer seen as an acceptable target for marketers, however a black hole still remains in online. With an estimated one in five children under the age of 12 already with a Facebook page, parents are understandably struggling to monitor them all the time, allowing children to be exposed to marketing and advertising. And many marketers are taking advantage of the online avenues available.
Supermarkets are guilty too and should be brought into the fold of responsible conduct. Much of their junk food is positioned at children’s eye level, prompting them to harass their parents for sweets, crisps and soft drinks. Worryingly, bad practice has spread to smaller format stores and non-food retailers such as HMV, New Look, Superdrug and WHSmith, who all feature sweets and chocolates in the queuing area near the checkouts, and do not offer healthy ranges.
I certainly agree that banning the advertising of unhealthy snacks to children is necessary. As marketers, we know that exposure to snack brands positively correlates to the consumption of these snacks; and nurturing habits detrimental to a child’s health is just plain irresponsible and a stark misuse of the industry’s muscle. However, restricting brands from engaging with children altogether is not wise because it automatically removes the opportunity for brands to change behaviour in a positive way. If snack manufacturers can produce new ranges which are healthy - and encourage healthy diets - these should be strongly promoted, opening doors for a potential win-win-win for the manufacturers, the children and society across the board.
Health-driven initiatives, like the educational card game, EdStat that recently came back onto the scene is providing brands with an outlet to showcase foods that supplement a healthy diet. Companies already steeped in wellbeing characteristics like Rude Health may otherwise be subject to penalisation for communicating to the under-12s.
All marketers have the chance to be part of a movement that improves the health of our children. There is a huge opportunity for brands to tap into new avenues, which absolutely cannot be missed.